What Is New about the Culicoides Identification Freeware?

Abstract

In the framework of Medreonet workpackage on “Regional sur­veillance of vectors”, a Culicoides identification key based on morphology is proposed. This key will help to identify the differ­ent Culicoides species, including those of the Palaearctic region. The tool will be available in a freeware version and in a web version. At time of writing, the key was not yet available but a first draft version was to be presented soon after to Culicoides taxonomists so as to improve it. Currently, females of 85 species including 9 morphological variations are included in a database of 63 descriptors codified in 172 states. These descriptors and states of descriptors were discussed and validated by the par­ticipants of the last taxonomic meeting in Strasbourg, France, in March 2009.